Melvin Gordon likely out several weeks with MCL sprain for Chargers

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Chargers running back Melvin Gordon (28) heads up field during the first half Sunday against Arizona in Carson. The Los Angeles Chargers host the Arizona Cardinals in a National Football League regular season game at the StubHub Center in Carson, Sunday November 25, 2018. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

COSTA MESA – In a cruel twist of fate following a near-perfect, bounce-back performance on Sunday, the Chargers will now be without one of their most important offensive weapons as they enter the season’s most important stretch.

Running back Melvin Gordon suffered an MCL sprain in the Chargers’ 45-10 victory over the Cardinals which is likely to sideline him for several weeks. Gordon was cut down by Arizona defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche in the backfield on an odd reverse play in Sunday’s third quarter, when the Chargers already led by three scores.

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Considering how serious the injury appeared at the time, with the running back writhing in pain and his teammates consoling him on the sideline, Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said he was “very relieved” with Gordon’s prognosis. In spite of that positive spin, Lynn admitted that it’s “highly doubtful” that Gordon would suit up for Sunday night’s game against the Steelers.

“I’ve had MCL’s, and I know you can recover quickly from those,” Lynn said. “Melvin is a fast healer. I was relieved. When you saw it on the field, it looked pretty nasty because it was a leg whip,” Lynn said. “I thought he came out on the good end of this one.”

Gordon’s absence, however long it may be, is still a devastating blow for a Chargers offense that at its best has looked as balanced as any in the NFL with Gordon in the backfield. Before leaving Sunday’s game, Gordon rushed for two more scores, bringing his season total to 13. Only the Rams’ Todd Gurley, the Saints’ Alvin Kamara and the Chiefs’ Kareem Hunt have more touchdowns this season.

Without him, the Chargers have no choice but to lean on change-of-pace back Austin Ekeler as they brave a brutal slate of potential playoff teams over the weeks to come. Rookie running back Justin Jackson, who added 57 yards on 7 carries Sunday, is also expected to contribute.

Neither is the violent, between-the-tackles back that Gordon has proven to be in his fourth season. But while Ekeler is a smaller back, Lynn expressed his confidence in the second-year back’s ability to carry a heavier load.

“He’s pound-for-pound the strongest young man on the team,” Lynn said. “I have no problem running Austin between the tackles.”

How the Chargers weather Gordon’s injury through that stretch could influence their playoff plans. With five weeks remaining before the postseason, the Chargers trail the Chiefs by just one game in the AFC West, while the surging Broncos are still three games behind. Both the Chiefs and Broncos, however, have much easier remaining schedules than the Chargers, who face the Bengals, Chiefs and Ravens in consecutive weeks after heading to Pittsburgh this Sunday for a marquee, nationally-televised matchup.

Gordon is likely to miss that trip; though, on Monday, Lynn suggested to “never count that guy out.” In the final month that follows, his status will be closely monitored.

Gordon missed one game earlier this season, when his sore hamstring tightened up on the Chargers’ transatlantic flight to London. Without him, the Chargers struggled mightily to move the ball on the ground against the Tennessee Titans, as Ekeler managed 42 yards on 12 carries, while adding 26 through the air.

Faced with the prospect of Gordon’s prolonged absence, quarterback Philip Rivers said on Sunday that the Chargers still wouldn’t alter their offensive identity.

“We’re all going to have to pick up the load a little bit,” Rivers said. “We’re still going to run our offense. We can’t all of the sudden say, ‘Hey, let’s throw it 50 times.’ I think (Ekeler and fellow running back Justin Jackson), we trust those guys enough. The guys up front are blocking and running well enough that we still have to continue with the balance.”

But whether that balance is even possible without one of the NFL’s best running backs is a question the Chargers must answer over the weeks to come.

Ryan Kartje is a sports features reporter, with a special focus on the NFL and college sports. He has worked for the Orange County Register since 2012, when he was hired as UCLA beat writer. His enterprise work on the rise and fall of the daily fantasy sports industry (http://www.ocregister.com/articles/industry-689093-fantasy-daily.html) was honored in 2015 with an Associated Press Sports Editors’ enterprise award in the highest circulation category. His writing has also been honored by the Football Writers Association of America and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Ryan worked for the Bloomington (Ind.) Herald-Times and Fox Sports Wisconsin, before moving out west to live by the beach and eat copious amounts of burritos.